


Nightblind

by Roguefemme



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Dogma is not having the nonsense, Gen, Imperial Cadet Shenanigans, Thrawn's Crew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 17:22:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14383413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roguefemme/pseuds/Roguefemme
Summary: When the lights go out in the Imperial Academy yet again, the cadets learn an unexpected lesson from their Clone Wars veteran instructor.For the "Unplugged" prompt from finish-the-clone-wars on tumblr.





	Nightblind

**Author's Note:**

> Written in a mad spate of inspiration and unbetaed, so I apologize for any errors.

    The cadets in officer training at the Imperial Academy of Raithal were deep in hand-to-hand combat practice, focused and intent on learning and performing to the best of their ability.  
  
    None of that stopped them from complaining when the power went out and plunged the basement room into total darkness.  
  
    "What the _kriff_?!"  
  
    "Again?! That's the second time this week!"  
  
    "How are we supposed to learn when the power keeps going out..."  
  
    " _Quiet!_ " Master Sergeant Dogma's voice cut through the youthful complaints like a vibroblade through flimsi. The students fell silent. "Now sit down and just wait for the lights to come back on." In the dark they couldn't see his warning scowl, but they could practically feel it despite the nearly touchable darkness. There were a few very quiet mutterings, but his students obeyed.  
  
    But, inevitably with a group of young, high-energy, and restless cadets, the quiet waiting didn't remain tranquil for long.  
  
    "What the...!" a young male voice yelped, quickly followed by a mischievous feminine laugh. "Karking damn it, Nava!" he snapped, though a following snort of amusement showed he wasn't too angry.  
  
    "Didn't know you spooked so easy just from a little darkness, Li," Cadet Nava Jing teased.  
  
    Whatever Li might have said back was cut off by a barked, "Settle down!" from Dogma.  
  
    There followed a few minutes of quiet, punctuated only by low-voiced conversations between cadets around the room, then Li muttered quietly, "You could've run right into Nati, y'know. She's right here..."  
  
    "I'm pretty sure she heard me coming," Jing replied, equally hushed, "She moved out of my way. That Daralhan nocturnal-hunter thing, Nati?"  
  
    An expectant silence stretched into uncomfortable, then unnerved silence. Finally the sound of cloth and then a light patting sound as Li moved forward onto his hands and knees, reaching out to feel around for the cadet who had been seated right next to him.  
  
    A muffled snort of laughter came from the darkness a few feet away.  
  
    "You hush, Pelli," Li admonished their other friend. She replied only with another soft exhale of laughter. "Nati, this ain't funny. Where are you?" he said a little louder, risking the Master Sergeant's wrath in order to make his friend reveal her position.  
  
    When Nataya Rabor's answer came it was not what anyone had expected, including Nati herself. A startled gasp/yelp rang out halfway across the room from her friends, then an audible struggle as she tried to to get away from whoever or whatever had caught her.  
  
    "You're pretty good," Dogma spoke low and not nearly as friendly as the words might have been. "Most wouldn't've heard you coming. But I fought alongside some of your people in the war, and learned their tricks. And you've got _nothing_ on the shadow warriors of Umbara." As if the aged but formidable warrior had commanded it, the lights flickered on again. The students blinked painfully to regain their sight and then froze as they saw their stealthy classmate pulled up onto her knees, held fast by the scruff of her neck where Dogma gripped a handful of her uniform tightly enough to prevent her from moving much. "You're all here because you're good," he informed the students, looking around at them with a cold calm that was somehow more frightening than his scowl. "But no matter how good you are, there's always someone better. Never forget that. Arrogance can get you killed."  
  
    He let go of the cadet's collar and she fell forward, catching herself on her hands. Cadet Pelli Sheplin, showing more nerve than most of her classmates, edged closer to their intimidating teacher in order to give her friend a hand up.  
  
    "Now on your feet, all of you, and back to work," he told them, sounding more like his normal gruff self, but the cadets remained unusually subdued for the rest of the class period. Dogma was daunting at the best of times, but at the moments he recalled Umbara he was as implacably bleak as that world had been to him.


End file.
